The Sacred and Spiritual Mandala Art Retreat

As a renowned teacher and fourth generation artist, Paul Heussenstamm has been sharing hi unique gift of helping people discover their Soul through his paintings and Art As A Spirtual Path workshops worldwide.  Paul has created over 2000 unique and spiritual paintings while passionately sharing his artistic capacity to explore and create Sacred Art from many traditions such as buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity.  

The size is between 6 – 12 participants and no experience is necessary. The Workshop covers all the aspects and history of the mandala and each participant will experience the unfolding of their personal mandalas as a teaching to deepen their spiritual journey through art.

ART AS A SPIRITUAL PATH is a transformational experience and my job will be to support and nurture the relationship with your Soul.

Tuition

$664.00 Commuter Rate incl. tuition, food and art supplies

General schedule:

Friday June 28th

9am- Arrival

9:30am Opening Circle

11:30 Brunch

12:30-6:00pm Painting

6pm Dinner

Saturday June 29th

10:00-11:30am Painting

11:30 Brunch

12:30-6:00pm Painting

6pm Dinner

Sunday June 30th

10:00-11:30am Painting

11:30 Brunch

12:30-6:00pm Painting/ Closing

Lodging options and costs are additional to the price above:

• Cozy Cabin Rooms (shared or private)  $90 – $180/night/person
• Shared Main House Lodging ( shared no cat allergies) – $100/night/person
• Forest Bell Tent Shared Lodging (shared or private) $75 – 150/night/person
• Camping- $35/night/person

The Star River Sanctuary Mission

        Star River Sanctuary’s mission is to love and serve all of our relations

The Vision

Star River Sanctuary is here to nourish the renewal, reconnection and reverence for nature through experiential and skill based learning. Star River Sanctuary is a multidisciplinary learning center in the heart of the Kootenays with three main interwoven platforms: regeneration, reconnection, and renewal. Star River Sanctuary has three pillars of purpose: organic gardens (regeneration), wilderness programs (reconnection), and healing retreats (renewal). 

We envision a world where people are fully connected to self, other, and the Earth holistically through mind, body, and heart. We see a world in which people are awake to their inherent gifts, health, and joy, living in balance and harmony with the natural world; a world where every being’s needs are taken into consideration, and where gratitude, reciprocity, and reverence for the earth lead our lives. We see a world where all people have the opportunity to connect to the wellspring of health, love, and inspiration found in Mother Nature, and where wise and loving mentors guide children in how to walk upon the Earth lightly and with open hearts. 

We understand that having a sanctuary of natural peace and beauty is an essential service at this time of ecological crisis on the earth. Within our culture there is an epidemic of disconnection from nature and we see this as a root cause of the ecological crisis we are facing. At the core of challenges, we as a human family face, is the recognition that all of life is interconnected and interdependent. 

We recognize that theory alone is not enough to meet the immense challenges of our generation and the generations to come. Experiential learning and healing in nature ignites creative genius and love of Earth. It is through our connection to nature that we will be guided to sustainable innovations and regenerative practices in the years to come. We must move the class and therapeutic spaces from the four square walls of institutions to the wild places with reverent devotion. Star River Sanctuary will be a place for such learning. There will be residential programs for all ages that focus on nature based outdoor education, eco-psychology, earth honouring animism, and agricultural skill-based learning through our fully functioning organic micro-farm. 

Values- 

Star River Sanctuary exists to love and serve all of our relations as a place of beauty, peace, and re-wilding for the seven generations to come through the conscious: 

• Regeneration of the natural intelligence and health of our soils to create abundant and resilient food security and foster ecological diversity.
• Reconnection to the natural intelligence within Gaia as our greatest teacher, guide, and healer through Earth honouring ceremonial arts.
• Renewal of the natural intelligence within our bodies to live in health and well-being with Gaia.

We do all of this through our conscious relationship and sacred reciprocity with the whole of Life. Through growing our spiritual practices and grounding this spiritual compassionate wisdom in right action. We believe that in order to meet the intense challenges we face, we must bridge theoretical and experiential learning and healing. This style of learning is in the container of what we call “re-wilding” which means to awaken the natural intelligence within. To become fully embodied requires us to heal with the holistic intelligence of Gaia through Earth honouring ceremonial wisdom. To heal we must learn new ways of living and rewrite our habits of disconnection. It is clear we can no longer teach by theory alone; we must provide experiential containers and mentorship for students of all ages to: 

• Experience the beauty and peace of Nature and awaken to their interconnection and interdependence within all life through age-appropriate curriculum and methodologies. 
• Grow individual inner resilience and skillful means with which to meet the unprecedented challenges of this time through nature-based therapy, eco-psychology, and earth-honouring wisdom traditions.  
• Build skill based understanding of regenerative agriculture and farming to build local food security